Hook and eye.



No. 783,450. K PATENTED FEB. 28, 1905.

M. G. MILLER. HOOK AND EYE.

' APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 27, 1904.

Patented February 28, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

MARTHA GROVE MILLER, OE DENVER, COLORADO.

HOOK AND EYE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 783,450, dated February28, 19905. Application led September 27, 1904. Serial No. 226,230.

To .f1/ZZ whom, it r11/ay concern:

Be it known that I, MARTHA GROVE MILLER,

a citizen ofthe United States of America, re-

siding at Denver, in the county of Denver and State of Colorado, haveinvented certain new and useful -Improvements in Hooks and Eyes, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a new and useful garment-fastening of thehook-and-eye type, and more particularly to the class of devices adaptedto fasten the plackets of skirts.

The discomfort, annoyance, and mortification caused by the accidentalopening of the placket of the skirt,which only too frequently and oftenwithout the wearers knowledge occurs as the result of sudden strain putupon the garment by lifting the dress, stooping down, or other causestoo numerous to mention, makes it imperative that the means ernployedfor connecting the two flaps of the garment should not only be simple inconstruction and adapted to be readily fastened and unfastened, butshould be especially designed to effectively withstand the strains towhich fasteners of this class are subject, at the same time beingcompact and neat in appearance.

The object of my invention is to produce a hook and eye forskirt-plackets in which the various qualities enumerated in thepreceding paragraph are combined. I attain this object by the mechanismillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l representsthe upper portion of a skirt, the placket being in a partly-opencondition; Fig. 2, an enlarged plan view of the two members comprisingmy device shown in place on the placket in the locked position; Fig. 3,a section taken along the line 3 3, Fig. 2; Fig. 4, a plan view of thehook member of the device, part of the tongue being broken away, drawnto a reduced scale; Fig. 5, aplan view of the eye member of thefastening drawn to a reduced scale; Fig. 6, a section taken along theline 6 6, Eig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrow; and Eig. 7, apartial plan view of the hook member,sliowing a modified form of slot.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout thevarious views.

In Fig. l let C represent the upper portion of a skirt, the placket ofwhich consists of the fiaps A and B, which when in the closed positionmeet along a line E E. The fastenings, as mentioned heretofore, consistof two members 5 and 6, which being secured correspondingly along theopposite edges of the members of the placket and on the inside of theskirt will when hooked one into the other connect flaps A and B, asshown in Figs. 2 and 3.

The hook member 5 of my device being preferably made of spring metalconsists of a flat base-plate 7, provided with a longitudinallydisposedelliptical slot 8 and an integral backwardly extending downwardlybearing reverse curvilinear spring-tongue 9. Perforations 10, locatedalong the edge of plate 7, adapt member 5 to be secured to the garmentby threads or other similar means. Tongue 9, the sides of which areright lined and parallel, extends from the extremity 7 l of thebase-plate, with which when in its normal position it forms an acuteangle a, in which the eye member reposes when in the locked position.Tongue 9 is in form composed of two reversed curves cand d, the lowerone, d, of which extends when in its normal position through slot 8 andbelow the lower surface of plate 7 while the free extremity 11 of thetongue projects upwardly above the upper surface of the base. The widthof tongue 9 in relation to the length of the minor axis of theelliptical slot is such that when in its normal position, as shown inFigs. 2 and 3, its edges will engage the converging edges of the slot onboth sides of its minor axis,thus forming four points of contact @,f, g,and t, which individually, as well as collectively, not only affordresistance against the strains to which the hook is subject when securedto the garment, but will most effectively prevent accidental unlockingof the fastening.

The eye member 6 of the fastening consists of a fiat metal plate 12,provided with ,apertures 13, by means of which it is secured to thegarment, and an outwardly-extending integral loop or stirrup 14, formingthe eye 1 5. Stirrup 14 is preferably made sufficiently light to allowthread to be wound around it in case it is desired to finish the memberin conform- IOO itly go the color of the dress to which it is app 1e Insecuring the members 5 and 6 of the fastening to the liaps of theplacket it is essential in order to insure proper {it of the garmentthat the extremity 7a of plate 7 should extend to the very edge of thegarment, while stirrup 14 of the corresponding eye member should projecta short distance beyond the edge of the opposite Hap.

In fastening the garment the weareru takes hold of the plate 12 ofmember 6 to prevent tearing the skirt and, bringing the stirrup over andbeyond plate 7, allows it to engage the outer surface of the extremity11 of tongue 9. On pulling the eye member backward its stirrup willbefore reaching its place in angle-a consecutively engage and pass bythe contact-points e and f and g and 71j,- while forcing thespring-tongue upward and out of engagement with the edges of slot 8. Theforce required to perform this operation will naturally depend 0n theintensity of the spring. I

When tongue 9 is in its normal position, its sides engaging the edges'ofslot 8 at the four points @,f, g, and t, the downwardly-extending curvedportion d will at the same time engage the cloth to which plate 7 issecured, as shown in Figs. 3 and 6. It will thus be observed that thestirrup to be released from the hook will have to overcome the downwardpressure of the spring-tongue at iive distinct and separate points.reducing the chances of its becoming accidentally unfastened to aminimum. In addition to this it will be noticed that when the stirrup ifsubjected to asudden strain engages points g and the tendency to liftthe upwardly-curving portion c of the tongue will create a pressure atpoints e and f. which being reflected at the first-mentioned points willafford additional resistance to the pressure exercised by the eyemember.

The acute angle formed by plate 7 and tongue 9 will when the two members5 and 6 are height of the hook member to a minimum, Y

which is of great importance in a device in which besides the featureshereinabove described neatness of appearance and lack 0f bulk are thechief requirements.

I wish it understood that the shape of slot 8 may, if so desired, bevaried. as shown in Fig. 7,-in which a portion of the base-plate isrlepresented provided with a diamond-shaped s ot.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. A hook and eyecomprising in combination, an eye member and a hook member composed of aplate having a slot with converging edges and provided with a tongueextending over said plate and into said slot and having a plurality ofpoints of contact with the converging edges of said slot.

2. A hook and eye comprising in combination an eye member and a hookmember composed of a plate having a slot with converging edges andprovided with a reverse curvilinear tongue extending over said plate andinto said slot and having a plurality of points of contact with theconverging edges of said slot.

3. A hook and eye comprising an eye member composed of a plate and anintegral' stirrup and a hook member composed of a plate having aslotwith converging edges and provided with a reverse lcurvilineartongue integral with and extending over said plate and into said slotand having a plurality of points of contact with the converging edges ofsaid slot, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have aixed my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

MARTHA GROVE MILLER.

Witnesses:

G. J. ROLLANDET, K. M. STUMP.

